Department for Transport

Roads: Snow and Ice

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much road grit is available in the UK for the 2016-17 winter; and how much the (a) mining, (b) storage and (c) distribution of road grit costs per year.

Andrew Jones: Highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that safe passage along a highway is not endangered by snow or ice. Winter service and maintenance is therefore the sole responsibility of the respective highway authority. This includes ensuring they have adequate road grit supplies. The Department for Transport continues to take action to ensure the country enters the 2016/17 winter season well prepared. This includes monitoring road grit being held around the country throughout the winter season, working closely with the UK domestic road grit producers, continuing to maintain a substantial national emergency road grit reserve and having a robust distribution process in place, if for any reason this road grit is needed to be allocated. The Department for Transport is also currently undertaking a survey of highway authorities to determine how much road grit is available in the UK for the forthcoming 2016-17 winter. However from previous surveys, we anticipate the country has over one million tonnes of road grit at its disposal, which is in addition to the 383,000 tonnes held as part of the national emergency grit reserve. It is for each highway authority to ensure that they have adequate road grit procured to treat the roads for which they are responsible, as required. The costs fall to each highway authority. These costs may vary depending on the road grit supplier and the distance the grit has to be hauled to the depots. The typical cost of road grit, including mining, storage and distribution lies within the range of £30 to £38 per tonne.

Roads: Accidents

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the rate of road traffic accidents.

Andrew Jones: The Road Safety Statement, published in December last year, sets out the Government’s priorities for improving road safety over this Parliament.

Taxis: Licensing

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to introduce a limit to the number of Hackney carriage and private hire driver licences local authorities can issue.

Andrew Jones: Under section 16 of the Transport Act 1985 local licensing authorities outside of London have the power to limit the number of licensed Hackney carriages if they are satisfied that there is no significant demand for the services of Hackney carriages (within the area to which the licence would apply) which is unmet. There are no powers to restrict the number of Hackney carriages in London or private hire vehicles in or outside of London and the Government has no plans to introduce any such legislation at this time.

Road Traffic Offences

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to reduce (a) dangerous driving and (b) driving under the influence of alcohol.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent representations his Department has received on the effectiveness of the laws against dangerous driving, speeding and driving while under the influence of alcohol in deterring those offences.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research his Department has undertaken on the effects on road safety of adopting harsher sentencing for those who break the law by dangerous driving, speeding or driving whilst under the influence of alcohol.

Andrew Jones: I published the Road Safety Statement in December 2015 which sets out the measures Government is taking to improve road safety including the reduction of road traffic offences. Our award-winning THINK! campaigns have also been running throughout the year to educate drivers on the risk and consequences of a number of different type of offences. The Department is in regular contact with a range of organisations and their reports, such as the ‘RAC Report on Motoring 2016’, are provided to the Department. The Department often includes research evidence in its impact assessments, for example the Elvik ‘dose response’ model, which shows that rigorous enforcement increases the deterrent effect on offending. The Government continues to keep road safety and road traffic offences under review.

Public Transport: Concessions

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has any plans to extend child discounts on public transport from 16 to 18 years to match the new compulsory school leaving age.

Andrew Jones: Government recognises the importance of accessible transport to all young people and, whilst there are no plans to introduce a statutory concession for young people, we are working with the sector to encourage operators to continue to improve their offers. In the de-regulated bus market it is for operators to set their own fares. Current estimates indicate that 50% of young people aged 16 to 19 receive at least a third off standard fares. The new Enhanced Partnership powers in the Bus Services Bill would allow local transport authorities and bus operators to agree standard ticket rules, such as eligibility for half fares across operators.

Taxis: Disability

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all taxi and minicab drivers undergo disability equality training.

Andrew Jones: Government is committed to building transport networks that work for everyone, including ensuring that disabled people have the same travel choices as other members of society. Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs) provide a particularly important service for many disabled people and it is therefore vital that their drivers have the knowledge and skills to provide appropriate assistance whenever it is required. I encourage local licensing authorities to consider how a requirement to undergo disability awareness training might help drivers to feel more confident in providing such assistance, consistent with the authority’s Public Sector Equality Duty.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: South Yorkshire

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which organisations his Department has formally consulted on the location of the proposed High Speed 2 station in South Yorkshire.

Andrew Jones: High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd carried out a public consultation on proposals for the HS2 Phase 2 route in 2013 on behalf of the Department for Transport. This contained the location of potential HS2 stations, including South Yorkshire. Appendix A of the consultation summary report lists the organisations that responded to the consultation: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/480397/P2LoR_Ipsos_MORI_FINAL_REPORT.pdf.pdf The Government will make an announcement on the HS2 Phase Two route, of which South Yorkshire is a part, later this year. A public consultation on the route in this area will be issued at the same time as the announcement.

Taxis: Disability

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when steps have been taken to enact the provisions within section 165 of the Equality Act 2010.

Andrew Jones: Government is committed to building transport networks that work for everyone, including ensuring that disabled people have the same travel choices as other members of society. I am committed to commencing Sections 165 and 167 of the Equality Act, making it unlawful for drivers of wheelchair accessible taxis and Private Hire Vehicles to refuse to provide assistance to passengers in wheelchairs or to charge them extra. We will shortly be consulting on Regulations regarding the exemption certificates for drivers unable to provide such assistance, and on relevant guidance. We will commence the Sections once the Regulations and guidance are ready for issue.

Taxis: Disability

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps have been taken to prevent taxi drivers charging extra to disabled people.

Andrew Jones: Government is committed to building transport networks that work for everyone, including ensuring that disabled people have the same travel choices as other members of society. Nobody should face discrimination when accessing transport services, and it is unacceptable for any provider to charge a disabled person extra on account of their disability. The Equality Act 2010 requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments to enable disabled people to access their services, and Sections 168 to 173 specifically prevent a taxi or Private Hire Vehicle driver from charging an assistance dog owner extra. I have also committed to commencing Sections 165 and 167, which will require drivers to provide assistance to passengers in wheelchairs and prevent them from charging more.

Bus Services: Concessions

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of over-staging by bus companies on journeys undertaken using a concessionary bus pass in England.

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to (a) educate bus passengers about over-staging and (b) help them to report cases of over-staging.

Andrew Jones: The destination printed on a bus ticket should not have any effect on the amount of reimbursement that the bus operator receives for carrying concessionary passengers. This is because reimbursement paid to operators is not based on the full commercial adult fare for a typical journey, but on the average equivalent full fare – taken from a “basket of fares” – that each concessionary traveller would have paid in the absence of the scheme. Reimbursement payments are also subject to audits of ticket sales data and, if required, ‘on-bus’ surveys of patronage.

Home Office

Offences against Children: Victim Support Schemes

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of support available for victims of sexual abuse under the age of 13.

Sarah Newton: The Government is committed to providing support for both victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. In 2016-17 we have made £7 million available to organisations working with victims and survivors of sexual abuse. £4.74 million has been provided to Police and Crime Commissioners to distribute to organisations working with victims and survivors locally. £600,000 was allocated directly from the Home Office to six organisations working with victims and survivors across the country.The Government is committed to transforming mental health services for children and young people, and £1.25 billion has been provided to support this. It is expected that by 2020 an extra 70,000 children and young people will be helped every year.On 13 September, I announced that £7.2 million had been provided by the Home Office to pilot two ‘Child Houses’ in London. The Houses will provide child-oriented multi-agency support for child victims under one roof. We are currently considering how, if the pilot is successful, we can make this model more widely available.The Government is continuing to work with local areas to ensure that children of any age who are victims, or at risk of, abuse, can receive the support they need in a timely fashion.

Knives: Crime

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce knife crime.

Sarah Newton: Tackling knife crime is a priority for the Government. On 23 March this year, we published the Modern Crime Prevention Strategy which sets out a range of measures to strengthen our response to knife crime including working with the police and industry to ensure there are effective controls on the sale of knives to under-18s.We have also passed legislation to ban the sale and importation of ‘zombie knives’ which came into force in August. We are encouraging the police to undertake a series of coordinated weeks of action to tackle knife crime under the Operation Sceptre banner.This includes targeting habitual knife carriers, weapon sweeps, test purchases of knives from identified retailers, and use of surrender bins. The next operation will take place the week of 17 October.We are also working with Crimestoppers and other potential organisations in delivering knife crime prevention messages to young people. In July 2015, the Government also introduced the sentencing provision that anyone caught in possession of a knife for a second time will now face a mandatory minimum custodial sentence.

Asylum: Children

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been transferred under the national dispersal scheme in each month since that scheme was introduced.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Annual Figures on the number of claims for asylum from Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC), including by country of nationality, are published quarterly by the Home Office in the Immigration Statistics release. A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics January to March 2016, is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-january-to-march-2016We introduced the Voluntary National Transfer Scheme on 1 July to ensure a more equitable distribution of UASC across the country. Over 100 UASC have been transferred so far.We have consulted with every region in England, Scotland and Wales on their capacity. If we are to make the voluntary transfer scheme a success we need more local authorities to participate in the scheme and offer places for unaccompanied children from councils which are caring for disproportionately high numbers.

Overseas Students

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what procedures are in place for her Department to monitor and deport former students of (a) the Cambridge College of Learning and (b) similar institutions which also closed before collection of sponsorship data of non-EU nationals began.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Holding answer received on 12 October 2016



The Home Office continues to take action at every opportunity to prevent immigration abuse, pursue immigration offenders and increase compliance with immigration law including arresting and returning illegal migrants to their country of origin.Information on former overseas students of the Cambridge College of Learning is not aggregated in national reporting systems. This information could only be obtained by a manual case by case review to collate the data, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to ensure that all EU citizens living in the UK will receive proof of their right to remain in the UK before any restrictions on new EU citizens are introduced; and how it will ensure there is sufficient operational capacity for such plans.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Holding answer received on 12 October 2016



The government has been clear that it wants to protect the rights of EU nationals already living in the UK and the only circumstances in which that would not be possible are if British citizens’ rights in other EU Member States were not protected in return. The government will seek to address this issue as part of the wider negotiations on the UK’s exit from the EU to ensure fair treatment of British citizens living in the EU.EU nationals currently in the UK do not need to apply for any additional documentation in support of their status exercising treaty rights.

Overseas Students

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department's policy is for individuals who were enrolled on courses at the Cambridge College of Learning that were found at an immigration tribunal to have been fraudulent is (a) deport those people and (b) allow those people to stay in the UK and apply for indefinite leave to remain.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Holding answer received on 12 October 2016



The Home Office continues to take action at every opportunity to prevent immigration abuse, pursue immigration offenders and increase compliance with immigration law including arresting and returning illegal migrants to their country of origin.Information on former overseas students of the Cambridge College of Learning is not aggregated in national reporting systems. This information could only be obtained by a manual case by case review to collate the data, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Pathology

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government has taken as a result of the conclusions and recommendations in the Hutton review of forensic pathology in England and Wales, submitted to the Minister of State for Crime and Prevention in March 2015.

Brandon Lewis: The Pathology Delivery Board, chaired by the Director of Home Office Science, assessed all the recommendations in the Hutton review and established a programme of work to address them individually. This programme has progressed to completion and is set to be formally signed-off at the next meeting in November 2016.In particular the Hutton review identified a lack of training for first attendees at the scenes of sudden and unexpected death therefore a new policy for police investigation of such cases has been developed. Also autopsy data is now included within the homicide index enabling consistency between police forces in England & Wales regarding the use of forensic pathology services. This helps to address Hutton’s concern over inconsistent approaches between forces. Furthermore, a national register of sub-speciality pathologists has been established to meet the shortfall in such capability identified by Hutton. It was also recommended by Hutton that there should be a review of the code of practice for forensic pathologists to address a number of concerns. This is being progressed by the Forensic Science Regulator.Options for implementing the main recommendation in Professor Hutton’s review, namely for the establishment of a ‘National Death Investigation Service’; has been the subject of consultation with stakeholders since the review’s completion. Recommendations on the preferred option will be presented to Home Office Ministers in October 2016.

Immigrants: Employment

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of employer enquiries to the Employer Checking Service resulted in a response confirming that the subject of the enquiry had the right to work in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 13 October 2016.The correct answer should have been:

The proportion of checks to the Employer Checking Service resulting in a response confirming that the subject of the enquiry had the right to work, by calendar year are as below:  2011 41.2% 2012 43.8% 2013 51.1% 2014 56.6% 56.0% 2015 61.4% 58.2% 2016 (to date) 67.3%

Mr Robert Goodwill: The proportion of checks to the Employer Checking Service resulting in a response confirming that the subject of the enquiry had the right to work, by calendar year are as below:  2011 41.2% 2012 43.8% 2013 51.1% 2014 56.6% 56.0% 2015 61.4% 58.2% 2016 (to date) 67.3%

Immigrants: Employment

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many calls have been made by employers to the Employer Checking Service in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Employer Checking Service deals with checks submitted by employers via the web-based form.In the calendar year of 2011 the Employer Checking Service processed 33,769 checks.In the calendar year of 2012 the Employer Checking Service processed 52,868 checks.In the calendar year of 2013 the Employer Checking Service processed 59,452 checks.In the calendar year of 2014 the Employer Checking Service processed 67,609 checks.In the calendar year of 2015 the Employer Checking Service processed 69,606 checks.From 1st January 2016 to 9th October 2016 the Employer Checking Service processed 33,095.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Renewable Energy: Employment

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential for job creation in renewable energy sectors in the next five years.

Jesse Norman: The latest figures from the ONS suggest that, in 2014, 238,500 full-time equivalent employees were working directly in the Low Carbon and Renewable Energy sectors in the UK. This figure does not include additional jobs that have been created in the wider renewable energy supply chain.The Low Carbon and Renewable Energy sectors will be at the heart of this Governments Industrial Strategy to support jobs and growth.

Offshore Industry

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of foreign state ownership of North Sea drillings rigs on the UK's energy security.

Jesse Norman: Through the offshore oil and gas licensing approval regime the Oil and Gas Authority considers a range of factors when awarding licences to the operators of offshore oil and gas fields, including ownership, technical competence and financial stability. The Government has also announced it will be introducing tighter controls on ownership of critical infrastructure to ensure the full implications of foreign ownership are scrutinised.

Business: Regulation

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of savings to businesses in (a) Woking constituency, (b) Surrey, (c) the South East and (d) the UK as a result of the Red Tape Challenge.

Margot James: The Red Tape Challenge programme ran until 2015. In the Statement of New Regulation published in December 2014, the previous Government identified over 3,000 regulations to scrap or improve, delivering estimated savings to UK businesses of over £850m per year as a result of the programme. Analysis of the impact of the deregulatory reforms on a geographical basis was not developed.

Living Wage

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September 2016 to Question 46285, what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of the national living wage on overtime, shift premiums and bank holiday payments for low paid workers; and whether an impact assessment on additional payments was carried out before the new national living wage was implemented.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September 2016 to Question 46285, on companies: costs, if he will produce a combined impact assessment of the package of measures announced by his predecessor.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September 2016 to Question 46285, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the introduction of the national living wage on the wages of middle-income earners.

Margot James: The Government produced an impact assessment prior to the introduction of the National Living Wage. In preparing this impact assessment, the Government conducted an informal consultation with business groups to understand the likely impact arising from the introduction of the National Living Wage (NLW) – including on pay structures and reward packages. These responses are detailed within the impact assessment. The impact assessment outlines a “ripple effect” associated with the introduction of the National Living Wage, which indirectly benefits workers up to the 25th percentile of the income distribution. By 2020, the NLW is expected to impact 2.9 million low paid workers directly - whilst a further 3.1 million workers earning above the National Living Wage are expected to see an increase in their income.

Ford Motor Company: Bridgend

Byron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with Ford on the long-term future of its plant in Bridgend.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Department is in close contact with Ford, as part of its responsibility to actively manage all our key major manufacturers, and Ministers regularly see the company as a matter of course.

Companies: Ownership

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make arrangements for companies in the register of persons with significant control to be identified by name.

Margot James: It is a requirement for companies in the register of people with significant control (PSC) to be identified by name. Where a company is owned and controlled by a legal entity such as another company, if that legal entity is both registrable and relevant in relation to the company then the company must enter a set of required particulars in its PSC register and provide that information to Companies House. One of the required particulars is the corporate or firm name of the legal entity that owns and controls the company.

Small Businesses: Internet

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many businesses have contacted the Business Support Helpline as a result of the Do More Online campaign in each of the last three years.

Margot James: The ‘Do More Online’ campaign launched in November 2014 is promoted by means of content on the ‘Business is GREAT’ website. The Business Support Helpline logs referrals from the whole website, not individual pages, so does not capture the number of businesses contacting the Helpline specifically from the campaign.

Companies: Ownership

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how his Department is (a) monitoring and (b) enforcing the requirement for companies to disclose information on persons with significant control in their company as part of their company register in Companies House.

Margot James: Companies disclose information on people with significant control (PSCs) through the requirement to file a Confirmation Statement at least once a year, confirming its information, including PSC data, is correct. Companies House helps companies comply with these requirements by issuing guidance and also reminders to all companies to help them file on time. Filings are not accepted unless the information is complete, so Confirmation Statements must include information on PSCs. Where companies have not filed a Confirmation Statement, Companies House contacts companies seeking compliance and reminding them that they have committed an offence.

Companies: Ownership

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking against companies which circumvent the requirement for businesses to disclose information to Companies House on persons with significant control in that company by registering another company rather than an individual as the person with significant control of that company.

Margot James: The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 (the Act) established rules governing what a company must enter in its register of people with significant control (PSC) and what it must file with Companies House. Companies can legitimately register a company as their PSC if that company meets the conditions of control, is the first legal entity in a company’s ownership chain and they are subject to their own disclosure requirements. (A full explanation of the rules can be found in BEIS guidance.) It is an offence for anyone knowingly or recklessly to deliver a document or statement to Companies House that is misleading, false or deceptive in a material way. A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable to imprisonment, to a term not exceeding two years, or a fine, or both.

Companies: Ownership

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department takes when the register of persons with significant control reveals a criminal record.

Margot James: The register of PSC would not reveal a criminal record as it is not something that PSC are required to declare.

Companies: Ownership

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the register of persons with significant control, how many companies have registered a shell company in an offshore tax haven as the persons with significant control of that company since 6 April 2016.

Margot James: Companies House does not hold figures on the number of companies that have registered a shell company in an offshore tax haven as their PSC. Companies can legitimately register a company as their PSC if that company meets the conditions of control, is the first legal entity in a company’s ownership chain and they are subject to their own disclosure requirements. A full explanation of the rules can be found in BEIS guidance.

Companies: Ownership

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many companies have listed another company rather than an individual as the persons with significant control in that company as part of their company register since 6 April 2016.

Margot James: The number of companies that have listed another company, rather than an individual, as a person with significant control (PSC) for the period 6 April to 10 October is 64,964. A company can list more than one PSC. Therefore, the figure of 64,964 includes companies that have listed both an individual and another company as their PSC.

Companies: Ownership

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many companies have disclosed information to Companies House on persons with significant control in their company as part of their company register since 6 April 2016.

Margot James: As at 10 October 2016, the total number of companies that have disclosed information on people with significant control (PSC) for the period 6 April to 10 October is 779,043.

Companies: Ownership

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the register of persons with significant control, what proportion of returns from companies have listed a shell company in an offshore tax haven as the persons with significant control of that company since 6 April 2016.

Margot James: Companies House does not hold figures on the number of companies that have registered a shell company as their PSC. Companies can legitimately register a company as their PSC if that company meets the conditions of control, is the first legal entity in a company’s ownership chain and they are subject to their own disclosure requirements. A full explanation of the rules can be found in BEIS guidance.

European GNSS Agency

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to continue to participate in the European GNSS Agency after the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson: As we leave the EU, our country is embarking on an important negotiation. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has already said, we are not going to provide a running commentary on every twist and turn of the negotiation.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Spain: Bulls

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations his Department has (a) received and (b) made to the Spanish government on (i) the burning of live bulls at festivals and (ii) bull-fighting in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK is opposed to any form of animal cruelty.The Foreign & Commonwealth Office continues to receive representations from Members of Parliament and the public on bullfighting.The Government has not made any recent Ministerial representations to Spain specifically in relation to these two issues. The UK actively works at European and international levels to encourage countries to adopt animal welfare standards which are as high as our own. Animal welfare in the EU is the responsibility of individual Member States.

Ukraine: Peace Negotiations

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the peace process in Ukraine.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign Secretary has discussed the Minsk Peace Process to resolve the on-going conflict in eastern Ukraine with a range of European partners and counterparts, including bilaterally with Foreign Ministers from France and Poland as well as multilaterally at recent EU and Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe summits. The Foreign Secretary has also discussed the conflict with President Poroshenko and Foreign Minister Klimkin of Ukraine during a recent visit to Kyiv, and stressed the need for progress on Minsk implementation during a phone call last month with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov.

Islamic State

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the practicability of prosecuting potential acts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Syria and Iraq by radicalised UK citizens in British courts.

Alok Sharma: ​As the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), said to the UN Security Council on 21 September, we are very concerned about the appalling crimes committed in Iraq and Syria and are committed to bringing to justice those responsible for alleged acts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. There have not been any prosecutions to date for such crimes in British courts. Most of the prosecutions of those returning to the UK from Iraq or Syria have been for terrorism-related offences. UK nationals can be prosecuted for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in domestic courts; but the practical difficulties involved in investigating crimes that have taken place abroad and apprehending suspects outside the jurisdiction will need to be considered by police and prosecutors on a case-by-case basis.

British Nationals Abroad: Middle East

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has (a) had discussions with and (b) made referrals to the International Criminal Court on investigating possible (i) acts of genocide, (ii) war crimes and (iii) crimes against humanity in Syria and Iraq by radicalised UK citizens.

Alok Sharma: As the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson MP), said to the UN Security Council on 21 September, we are working with our partners in the international community to do everything we can to support the gathering of evidence which could be used by courts to bring Daesh to justice. On 19 September, the Foreign Secretary launched at the UN General Assembly an international campaign to bring Daesh to justice. As a state party to the International Criminal Court (ICC) Rome Statute and strong supporter of the ICC, the UK has regular discussions with the court on a range of issues. Any decision to refer to the ICC must be made on the basis of what will be the most effective means to bring perpetrators of atrocities and those who have assisted them to justice. In her press statement of 8 April 2015, the ICC Prosecutor set out some of the complicated issues involved in the ICC investigating Daesh, including foreign fighters who are nationals of from ICC states parties. When efforts were made to refer the situation in Syria to the ICC in 2014, it was vetoed by Russia and China.

Human Trafficking

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on tackling human trafficking.

Alok Sharma: ​Modern slavery is a crime which crosses borders and requires a co-ordinated international response. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), has regular discussions with his European counterparts on human trafficking. The UK plays a leading role in the EU Threat group on Trafficking in Human Beings (EMPACT), which brings together law enforcement experts from most EU Member States and is supported by Europol, Eurojust, the European Commission, Interpol, Frontex and CEPOL (EU Police College).The UK has also led work to secure a UN Sustainable Development Goal to end slavery and irregular migration – including trafficking – was a priority theme at the 71st session of the UN General Assembly this year. The UK led a resolution on Contemporary Forms of Slavery at the recent Human Rights Council, working with EU partners to provide a focus for practical measures and concerted international action. In these and other ways, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to support the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), in her efforts to co-ordinate global action on these issues.

Primetake

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has received on reports of the use of ammunition produced and exported by Primetake, a company based in Lincolnshire, to kill Abdul-Rahim al-Faraj by security forces in Saudi Arabia; and whether he plans to investigate such reports.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is aware of claims by Mr al-Faraj's family that ammunition produced in the UK was used in the incident that killed him. The UK Government takes decisions on all arms export licensing applications on the basis of close and careful consideration, assessing them against the EU and National Consolidated Arms Export Licensing Criteria, which includes an assessment of whether there is a clear risk that the items might be used for internal repression.The Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman stated that Mr al-Faraj was suspected of previously killing security forces personnel and indicated that substantial arms and ammunition were found on the premises during the operation.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Staff

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what proportion of staff on the payroll of his Department who work in Westminster are (a) British nationals and (b) nationals of another country.

Kris Hopkins: All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules. Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose. More broadly, the Government will be consulting in due course on how we work with business to ensure that workers in this country have the skills that they need to get a job. But there are no proposals to publish lists of the number or proportion of foreign workers.

Milk: Donors

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what arrangements he plans to put in place for milk bank sharing between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland when the UK leaves the EU.

Kris Hopkins: The issue of milk bank sharing is a devolved matter and as such falls to the Department of Health in Northern Ireland. However, the UK Government’s focus remains on making a success of exiting the European Union and getting the right deal both for Northern Ireland and the UK as a whole.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: Migrant Workers

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of the staff employed by her Department are non-UK nationals.

Rory Stewart: All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules.Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.More broadly, the Government will be consulting in due course on how we work with business to ensure that workers in this country have the skills that they need to get a job. But there are no proposals to publish lists of the number or proportion of foreign workers.

Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations she has made to her counterparts in (a) Haiti, (b) Jamaica, (c) Cuba and (d) the Bahamas on humanitarian aid to address the damage caused by hurricane Matthew.

Rory Stewart: The Secretary of State has been monitoring the impact of Hurricane Matthew closely and has announced up to £5 million to support Haiti where many of those most affected live. The DFID team in Haiti and Foreign and Commonwealth Office embassies and High Commissions in the region are in close contact with relevant authorities in order to understand the impact and programme these funds effectively.

Yemen: Medecins Sans Frontieres

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to assist Medicins Sans Frontieres in offering medical assistance in Yemen.

Rory Stewart: The Department for International Development has helped humanitarian organisations, including Médécins Sans Frontières, engage with the Government of Saudi Arabia on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. However, we do not fund MSF’s activities inside Yemen. We do fund medical assistance in Yemen through UNICEF and the United Nations Humanitarian Pooled Fund.

Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in (a) Haiti, (b) Jamaica, (c) Cuba and (d) the Bahamas as a result of hurricane Matthew.

Rory Stewart: In Haiti, the Department is working with the United Nations, international partners and the Government of Haiti to assess the level of humanitarian need. The Government of Haiti and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimate 2.1 million people in Haiti have been affected by Hurricane Matthew. We are now beginning to see the full scale of the devastation wrought by the worst storm to hit this region in almost a decade.In Jamaica, no significant humanitarian need has been identified. In respect of Cuba, the Department is working closely with the International Federation of the Red Cross to ascertain their understanding of needs and potential response plans. We are also working with the British Red Cross to deepen our understanding of the humanitarian situation in the Bahamas.

Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to address the humanitarian situation in (a) Haiti, (b) Jamaica, (c) Cuba and (d) the Bahamas caused by hurricane Matthew.

Rory Stewart: The UK is committing up to £5 million of initial support to trusted UN, Red Cross and NGO partners to help thousands of people in Haiti affected by Hurricane Matthew. DFID prepositioned aid in Haiti to better prepare the country for natural disasters, and has a team in Haiti working with international partners and the Government of Haiti to address the humanitarian situation.In Jamaica, no significant humanitarian need has been identified. In respect of Cuba, the Department is working closely with the International Federation of the Red Cross to ascertain their understanding of needs and potential response plans.The Ministry of Defence and Foreign and Commonwealth Office deployed the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary Vessel Wave Knight to the Bahamas to provide aerial reconnaissance and support in the immediate aftermath of Matthew’s impact. The Department for International Development is working with the British Red Cross to deepen our understanding of the humanitarian situation in the Bahamas.

West Bank: Water Supply

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent representations she has made to the Israeli authorities on the effect on the Palestinians in the West Bank of restricting water supplies.

Rory Stewart: The UK regularly raises the issue of water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the Israeli authorities, most recently on 8 September. We continue to stress the urgent need for Israel to take immediate and practical measures to improve the current situation and ensure fair distribution of water in the West Bank and Gaza.We encourage both parties to find a swift resolution to this issue and to reconvene the Joint Water Committee to facilitate approval of projects that will improve Palestinian access to water. We see continuity of supply to the West Bank as essential for both the basic needs of Palestinians and for stability and security more widely.

Department for International Development: Staff

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, approximately how many (a) British and (b) non-British nationals are employed cleaning the Westminster estate of her Department.

Rory Stewart: DFID utilises a cross government contract for cleaning services in their UK estates.

Department for International Development: Staff

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of staff on the payroll of her Department who work in Westminster are (a) British nationals and (b) nationals of another country.

Rory Stewart: All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules.Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.More broadly, the Government will be consulting in due course on how we work with business to ensure that workers in this country have the skills that they need to get a job. But there are no proposals to publish lists of the number or proportion of foreign workers.

Palestinian Authority

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to section 6.5 of the Memorandum of Understanding between her Department and the Palestinian National Authority, whether her Department has been aware of any breach of the commitment of human rights and taken any action in response to a breach of that commitment.

Rory Stewart: The UK assesses that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is not in breach of its commitment to respecting human rights. The UK promptly raises specific human rights issues with the PA when necessary, both publicly and privately.

Palestinian Authority

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to section 6.5 of the Memorandum of Understanding between her Department and the Palestinian National Authority, whether her Department has been aware of any breach of the commitment on the principle of non-violence and taken any action in response to a breach of that commitment.

Rory Stewart: The UK deplores incitement on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We take the issue very seriously and raise our concerns when incidents occur. The UK’s assessment is that the Palestinian Authority is not in breach of the Memorandum of Understanding and the track record of President Abbas and Prime Minister Hamdallah demonstrates their overall commitment to non-violence and a negotiated two-state solution.

Palestinian Authority

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to section 6.5 of the Memorandum of Understanding between her Department and the Palestinian National Authority, whether the implications of any breach of the commitment on human rights was discussed at the annual partnership talks between her Department and that Authority.

Rory Stewart: The UK raised the issue of human rights as part of the FCO-led UK-Palestinian strategic talks and in the DFID- Palestinian Authority (PA) annual talks that review the broader DFID-PA Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with a clear message that we take very seriously any allegations of human rights abuses. The UK assesses that the PA is not in breach of its commitment to respecting human rights.

Palestinian Authority

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to section 6.5 of the Memorandum of Understanding between her Department and the Palestinian National Authority, whether the implications of any breach of the commitment on the principle of non-violence was discussed at the annual partnership talks between her Department and that Authority.

Rory Stewart: The UK raised the issue of incitement as part of the FCO-led UK-Palestinian strategic talks and in the DFID-Palestinian Authority (PA) annual talks that review the DFID-PA Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), sending a clear message of discouraging incitement to violence. The UK’s assessment is that the PA is not in breach of the MoU and the track record of President Abbas and Prime Minister Hamdallah demonstrates their overall commitment to non-violence and a negotiated two-state solution.

Palestinian Authority

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with regard to the amendment letter to the Memorandum of Understanding with the Palestinian Government for Financial Assistance, signed on 19 March 2015, whether her Department has a list of the eligible beneficiaries of the PEGASE support programme; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: The list of vetted civil servants is held by the European Union. DFID has access to this list on request. The list of eligible beneficiaries is subject to a vetting process that includes screening against international and ad hoc sanctions lists, covering a large number of different risk categories including terrorism financing.

St Helena: Airports

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the cost to the public purse is of the airport at St Helena.

Rory Stewart: In 2011 DFID approved an allocation of £285.5 million for the airport at St Helena.

Refugees: Females

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with (a) her international counterparts, (b) non-governmental organisations and (c) toiletry companies on the provision of women's health and sanitary products to refugee women and girls.

James Wharton: DFID is working with our partners to ensure that sexual and reproductive health needs of girls and women affected by crises are prioritised. This includes their right to experience menstruation with dignity. In 2015 alone, UK funding to UNFPA supported their efforts to distribute almost 60,000 menstrual hygiene kits to women and girls living in conflict situations. The UK has committed that, in humanitarian crises, DFID calls for proposals will require the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls to be considered. The UK also supported a joint statement led by UNFPA, highlighting the importance of sexual and reproductive rights in crises, at the World Humanitarian Summit in May this year.DFID is working globally with a network of civil-society organisations, private sector companies, donors, academics, and international agencies to address stigma and increase access for all women and girls to the education, support, products and services they need to manage menstruation with dignity.

Developing Countries: Females

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the Department's funding has been allocated to women's health initiatives, including education in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18 and (c) 2018-19.

James Wharton: The UK, as a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC), is committed to transparent reporting of development assistance in a way that permits international comparisons. Whilst comparison codes are available to separately identify funding for family planning and for reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, the same is not true specifically for women's health initiatives.DFID is in the process of developing our plans to 2020, so future spending has not yet been determined.

Developing Countries: Corruption

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to continue to fund (a) innovative projects on anti-corruption and transparency and (b) country-specific anti-corruption strategies.

Rory Stewart: My Department will continue to fund innovative projects on anti-corruption and transparency. The Secretary of State for International Development has confirmed that transparency and accountability are at the top of her agenda. Moreover the London Anti-Corruption Summit committed to a range of innovative approaches to fighting corruption globally, many of which DFID will support. This includes increased use of company beneficial ownership registers and improved open public contracting standards. DFID will also contribute towards a new UK-led Anti-Corruption Innovation Hub. It will establish a network across countries, businesses and civil society to share know-how, identify opportunities for collaboration and connect technology and data experts with law enforcement and civil society.DFID has refreshed anti-corruption strategies for our priority country programmes. These take into account the issues and ambitions created by the Summit and the forthcoming UK Anti-Corruption Strategy. DFID will support our partner countries to implement their Summit commitments where appropriate.

Developing Countries: Disclosure of Information

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to ensure that every government and organisation which her Department funds meets global transparency standards.

Rory Stewart: We require our centrally funded civil society and private sector suppliers to publish details of how they spend UK funding in line with international transparency standards. The department has also reviewed the extent to which multilateral partners are meeting or going beyond these standards, to promote transparency globally and in the countries where they work. DFID supported adoption of new international commitments relating to transparency and anti-corruption, including commitments in the “Grand Bargain” for humanitarian action, and under Cabinet Office leadership, the Open Government Partnership. DFID has increased, and continues to increase, country programming on tax and other areas supporting fiscal transparency.

Developing Countries: Corruption

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether official development assistance (ODA) spent by her Department on anti-corruption activities has reduced as a result of her Department's overall expenditure on ODA between 2014-15; and whether other government departments have taken over any spending on anti-corruption activities that were previously funded through her Department's expenditure on ODA.

Rory Stewart: The latest information is available for 2013-2014, as set out in Table 1 below. Table 1: UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) for anti-corruption activities 2013-2014, £ million 1 20132014 £m% of total ODA£m% of total ODATotal UK Net ODA on anti-corruption activities5654.9%6545.6%Of which:BilateralDepartment for International Development3623.2%3853.3%Non -DFID80.1%70.1%MultilateralDepartment for International Development1901.7%2452.1%Non -DFID40.0%170.1%Total UK Net ODA 11,424   11,726   Source: Statistics on International DevelopmentFigures may not add to the total due to rounding.

Refugees: Females

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with non-governmental organisations on tackling the taboo around women's periods and its effect on women in refugee camps.

James Wharton: DFID is working with our partners to ensure that sexual and reproductive health needs of girls and women affected by crises are prioritised. This includes their right to experience menstruation with dignity. In 2015 alone, UK funding to UNFPA supported their efforts to distribute almost 60,000 menstrual hygiene kits to women and girls living in conflict situations. The UK has committed that, in humanitarian crises, DFID calls for proposals will require the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls to be considered. The UK also supported a joint statement led by UNFPA, highlighting the importance of sexual and reproductive rights in crises, at the World Humanitarian Summit in May this year.DFID is working globally with a network of civil-society organisations, private sector companies, donors, academics, and international agencies to address stigma and increase access for all women and girls to the education, support, products and services they need to manage menstruation with dignity.

Department for International Development: Reviews

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when her Department plans to publish its Multilateral Aid Review.

Rory Stewart: The Government intends to publish the outcomes of the Multilateral Aid Review shortly.

Department for International Development: Reviews

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when her Department plans to publish its Bilateral Aid Review.

Rory Stewart: The Government intends to publish the outcomes of the Bilateral Aid Review shortly.

Department for International Development: European Commission

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which EU commissioners she has met since taking office; and when and where such meetings took place.

Rory Stewart: During her attendance at the Foreign Affairs Council- Development on the 12th September 2016 the Secretary of State met with the European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, and the Vice President of the European Commission and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini.

Ethiopia: Security

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2016 to Question 45678, on Ethiopia: security, what non-overseas development assistance elements were included in the executive masters programme in security sector management, which closed in June 2015.

James Wharton: UK non-Overseas Development Assistance support for the Executive Masters Programme in Security Sector Management – totalling £140,000 - covered the costs of the non-civilian students that attended the course.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is giving to Palestinians displaced by Israeli settlement building and the demolition of Palestinian homes.

Rory Stewart: The UK remains extremely concerned about continued Israeli settlement expansion and the large increase in demolitions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since the start of 2016, compared to the monthly average in 2015. We continue to raise these issues with the Israeli authorities. Demolitions and the evictions of Palestinians from their homes cause unnecessary suffering, are harmful to the peace process, and in all but the most exceptional of cases are contrary to international humanitarian law.The UK supports Palestinians facing demolition or eviction and displacement by funding a legal aid programme to help individuals and communities challenge these decisions in the Israeli legal system.

Developing Countries: Taxation

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to page 21 of her Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2015-16, what assessment she has made of progress against its target of doubling its funding on improving tax systems in developing countries by 2020.

Rory Stewart: The UK is recognised as a global leader in tax and development, working to end aid dependency in developing countries. The UK, as a founding signatory to the Addis Tax Initiative, pledged to double our spend on tax and development by 2020. My Department has made strong progress and is on course to deliver this commitment by 2020.

Israel: Palestinians

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many of the structures in the West Bank funded through aid provided by her Department have been demolished by Israeli forces in 2016 to date.

Rory Stewart: No structures that the UK has funded bilaterally in the West Bank have been demolished. A number of structures funded by the EU’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Office (ECHO) have been demolished in recent months.

Department for Education

Higher Education

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of (a) tutors and (b) students in higher education institutions was (i) male and (ii) female in each of the last 10 years.

Joseph Johnson: Information on students and the workforce at UK higher education institutions is collected and published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency. Statistics on student enrolments by gender have been provided in Table 1, and on academic staff with teaching functions by gender in Table 2. Table 1: Proportion of Higher Education enrolments by gender UK Higher Education InstitutionsAcademic years 2005/06 to 2014/15Academic YearFemaleMale2005/200657%43%2006/200757%43%2007/200857%43%2008/200957%43%2009/201057%43%2010/201156%44%2011/201256%44%2012/201356%44%2013/201456%44%2014/201556%44% Source: Information is derived from the Higher Education Statistics Agency Student Record Coverage: - Includes students across all years of study, at all levels and modes of higher education and distance learners- Figures include students of all domiciles. Table 2: Proportion of Academic Staff with Teaching Functions by gender UK Higher Education InstitutionsAcademic Years 2005/06 to 2014/15FemaleMale2005/200640%60%2006/200741%59%2007/200841%59%2008/200942%58%2009/201043%57%2010/201144%56%2011/201244%56%2012/201344%56%2013/201444%56%2014/201544%56% Source: Information is derived from the Higher Education Statistics Agency Staff Record Coverage:- Members of academic staff who have the following academic employment functions: teaching only, teaching and research- Percentages based on headcount of members of academic staff across all modes of working- Atypical members of staff are not included. Atypical staff are those members of staff whose contracts involve working arrangements that are not permanent, involve complex employment relationships and/or involve work away from the supervision of the normal work provider.

Ministry of Justice

Prosecutions

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were prosecuted in their absence for (a) serious sexual offences, (b) class A drug use and (c) manslaughter in each year since 2010.

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people prosecuted in their absence were on bail in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Information on whether or not a defendant is in attendance at their hearing is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prison Sentences

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners are serving indefinite sentences in England.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Data on indeterminate sentence prisoners (both those serving life and Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences) are routinely published as part of the Offender management statistics quarterly bulletin, and can be found on GOV.UK.

Ministry of Defence

Arms Trade

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what security-related sales and services the UK is (a) contracted to provide and (b) plans to provide to other countries in (i) 2017, (ii) 2018 and (iii) 2019.

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what arms and security-related sales and services the UK is (a) contracted to provide and (b) planning to provide in (i) 2017, (ii) 2018 and (iii) 2019.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK does not have commercial contracts with other countries for arms and security related sales and services. Through bilateral government-to-government arrangements the UK works closely with its international partners and allies to support the development of their defence and security capabilities across a broad range of areas.To produce the information would involve collecting data from all branches and services involved in international defence engagement activity which could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Defence: Staff

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, approximately how many (a) British and (b) non-British nationals are employed cleaning the Westminster estate of his Department.

Mark Lancaster: This information is not held by the Ministry of Defence. Cleaning staff are provided through a Private Finance Initiative Contract with Modus

Ministry of Defence: Procurement

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in how many instances his Department's procurement department sought further information from a company on potential corruption, bribery or fraud in the last two years.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times officials in his Department responsible for procurement checked whether a contractor employed by his Department was under investigation for corruption with law enforcement agencies in the last two years.

Byron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in how many instances his Department's procurement section sought further information from a company with regard to potential corruption, bribery or fraud in the last two years.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) routinely carries out checks on potential contractors prior to contract award, including on criminal activity, such as convictions for tax evasion, bribery or fraud, and a review of a company's audited accounts. These enquiries are conducted in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011.This process is reiterated in all competitive and single source tender documentation issued to tenderers prior to any contract award.Any suspicion of corruption is reported to the appropriate authority. Where justified, the MOD can exclude potential suppliers who pose an unacceptable risk to public money.

Germany: Military Bases

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will exempt teachers on UK Ministry of Defence bases in Germany from the exit payment cap.

Mark Lancaster: There are no current plans to seek an exemption to the £95,000 cap on exit payments.

Netherlands: War Graves

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his Dutch counterpart on the efforts of the Royal Netherlands Army to (a) identify and (b) mark the grave of Private Gilbert Anderson of the 11th Parachute Battalion who was killed in action on 20 September 1944.

Mark Lancaster: The Department is aware of the case surrounding the potential rededication of the grave for Private Anderson, but the case has not been passed to the Ministry of Defence to manage.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and War Pensions

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to exempt people in receipt of war pensions or armed forces compensation payments from health reassessments.

Mark Lancaster: Veterans UK do not routinely conduct health re-assessments once awards have been made. There are provisions under both schemes for recipients to seek a review of the level of compensation being paid.

Defence Fire and Rescue Service: Pensions

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 9 July 2015 to Question 5695, on Defence Fire and Rescue Service pensions, what progress has been made in discussions with the trade unions.

Mark Lancaster: Her Majesty's Treasury is reviewing the Enhanced Effective Pension Age and Effective Pension Age for Ministry of Defence Police Officers. We have since been advised that this review extends to Defence Fire and Rescue Service personnel. We are anticipating a decision by 30 November 2016. This means that discussions with the trade unions are on hold until the review concludes.

Armed Forces: Cadets

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase the number of cadet units in state schools.

Mark Lancaster: The Government has committed £50 million from LIBOR fines to increase the number of cadet units in UK state schools through the Cadet Expansion Programme. The joint Ministry of Defence/Department for Education programme is targeting schools in less affluent areas and we have had a substantial number of applications to establish new units. This demonstrates the interest that schools around the country have in the programme. The expansion programme is well on track to achieve its target of 500 cadet units parading in schools across the UK by 2020. As at June 2016, 350 units were parading and on 4 October 2016 the Secretary of State announced the next wave of 25 new units in state schools which have been approved. The list of 25 new schools which have been approved is as follows: Arnold Hill Academy - NottinghamshireAskham Bryan College - North YorkshireBedlingtonshire Community High School - NorthumberlandBishop Challoner Girls School - LondonBroadgreen International School - LiverpoolCardinal Griffin Catholic College - StaffordshireCarr Hill High School and Sixth Form Centre - LancashireCentral Foundation Boys' School - LondonChichester Free School - ChichesterErnest Bevin College - LondonGravesend Grammar School - KentHugh Baird College - MerseysideKhalsa Secondary Academy - BuckinghamshireKings Leadership Academy Liverpool - LiverpoolMedway UTC - KentNewton Rigg College - CumbriaNova Hreod Academy - SwindonQuintin Kynaston Academy - LondonRockwood Academy - BirminghamSouth Shields Community School - Tyne and WearSouth Wiltshire UTC - SalisburySt Thomas More Catholic School - Tyne and WearThe JCB Academy - StaffordshireTudor Grange Samworth Academy - LeicestershireWest Midlands Construction UTC - Wolverhampton

Armed Forces: Young People

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to highlight the potential benefits of a military career to young people from deprived areas.

Mark Lancaster: Our Armed Forces welcomes people from all backgrounds. There is a role in the Services for people regardless of their gender, race, ethnic origin or religious belief. No account is taken of sexual orientation or social background. The Armed Forces has a strict code of conduct to make sure that everyone is treated fairly. As a major employer we are working to create a more inclusive working environment in which people are able to reach their full potential.The Armed Forces has an extensive programme of engagement with schools and educational establishments, including deprived areas. However, the Armed Forces does not recruit in schools and only visits educational establishments when specifically invited to do so.

RAF Aldergrove

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's plans are for the unused housing at RAF Aldergrove.

Mark Lancaster: Demolition of the unused housing at RAF Aldergrove is planned to commence in 2017.

RAF Leuchars

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what arrangements have been made to accommodate private aircraft at the Leuchars military base.

Harriett Baldwin: The airfield at Leuchars Station does not routinely receive private aircraft. However, visiting aircraft can be parked, including overnight, on the aircraft servicing platforms by the side of the runway. This does not impede any military flying.

Department for Work and Pensions

Housing Benefit: Sheltered Housing

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to exempt sheltered housing tenants from the housing benefit cap.

Caroline Nokes: The Secretary of State announced in a Written Ministerial Statement on 15 September 2016 that we would be deferring the application of Local Housing Allowance Rates in the social sector for supported housing which includes sheltered housing until 2019/20.At this point we will bring in a new funding model which will ensure that the sector continues to be funded at current levels, taking into account the effect of Government policy on social sector rents.The Secretary of State also announced that a formal consultation would be published shortly.

Housing Benefit: Supported Housing

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many respondents to the first consultation on reforming housing benefit for supported housing in 2011 responded that a localised pot would support the right of disabled people to live independently.

Caroline Nokes: The consultation in 2011 sought views on a wide variety of options, and received a range of viewpoints, reflecting the diversity of the sector.

Work Capability Assessment

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many qualified doctors are employed by Maximus in delivering work assessments.

Penny Mordaunt: As of 26 September 2016, there were 196.14 (full time equivalent) doctors employed as Healthcare Professionals by the Centre for Health Disability Assessments (CHDA is a MAXIMUS company) in delivering Work Capability Assessments.

Social Security Benefits: Hemsworth

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Hemsworth constituency who have waited more than 42 days to receive a mandatory reconsideration decision since the introduction of that process.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Hemsworth constituency who have had benefit payments reinstated after a mandatory reconsideration decision are awaiting a fully back-dated entitlement payment.

Penny Mordaunt: The information is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Carer's Allowance: Cardiff Central

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many adults in Cardiff Central constituency have received carer's allowance for caring for children under the age of 16 in each of the last three financial years.

Penny Mordaunt: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Cardiff Central

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people aged under 16 in Cardiff Central constituency have received (a) personal independence payment and (b) disability living allowance in each of the last three financial years.

Penny Mordaunt: Personal Independence Payment is not available to children under the age of 16. Statistics on the number of children under the age of 16 in receipt of Disability Living Allowance, by a range of breakdowns including parliamentary constituency and time series, are available from the Tabtool: http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/tabtool.html.

Children: Maintenance

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many deduction from bank account orders the Child Maintenance Service has served on absent parents to recover payments due to parents with custody living in Bristol South constituency since May 2015.

Caroline Nokes: This information is not readily available and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Children: Maintenance

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many liability orders through magistrates courts the Child Maintenance Service has served on absent parents to recover payments due to parents with custody living in Bristol South constituency since May 2015.

Caroline Nokes: This information is not readily available and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Children: Maintenance

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many deduction from earnings or benefits orders the Child Maintenance Service has served on absent parents to recover payments due to parents with custody living in Bristol South constituency since May 2015.

Caroline Nokes: This information is not readily available and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Attendance Allowance

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether funding for attendance allowance will be ring-fenced if responsibility for administering this benefit is devolved to local authorities.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if the Government will make it its policy to maintain existing levels of attendance allowance for new claimants if this benefit is devolved to local councils.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how the Government plans to ensure that (a) award levels for attendance allowance and (b) award criteria will be the same across different local authorities if responsibility for administering this benefit is devolved to them.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the benefit to the Exchequer of devolving responsibility for administering attendance allowance to local authorities.

Penny Mordaunt: As part of a broader consultation on plans to devolve 100% of business rates to local councils by 2020, the Government asked for views on whether there is a better way to provide help for older people with care needs by giving more responsibility to councils in England.The Government has already announced that in England, any new responsibility passed to local authorities would be matched by the transfer of the equivalent spending power; this would not be a savings measure. The Government has also confirmed that those already receiving Attendance Allowance would not be affected by any change.That consultation has now closed and responses are being considered. The Government response will be published in due course and the Government will consult further should any changes to Attendance Allowance be proposed.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Lions: Hunting

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effect on conservation in the country of origin of the importation of lion trophies into the UK.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We have not carried out an assessment of the effect of lion imports into the UK on wider conservation in the country of origin. However as part of the application process for an import permit, we assess the impact of lion imports into the UK on the conservation of the species. The UK’s scientific advisors for fauna, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, consider for each lion imported into the UK whether the import would be harmful to the conservation of the species or the extent of its range. An import permit is only issued if the trade is not considered to be detrimental to the survival of the species in the wild.

Agriculture: Environment Protection

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has made to the (a) Soil Association, (b) Rivers Trust and (c) RSPCA on running eco-friendly accreditation schemes for farmers.

George Eustice: I have regular meetings with farming and environmental organisations to discuss the options for future policy after we leave the EU. While no formal proposals have been made regarding the running of eco-friendly accreditation schemes for farmers, the concept of developing UKAS accredited environmental schemes has been discussed with representatives from all three organisations.

Flood Control

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the conclusion in the Flood Resilience Review, published in September 2016, that a 20 to 30 per cent increase in winter rainfall is possible over the next 10 years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The National Flood Resilience Review identified that over the next 10 years we could see extreme rainfall events that could be up to 20-30 per cent higher than recent past extreme rainfall events. The Environment Agency will use 20 and 30 per cent extreme rainfall scenarios with local detailed models used to design new flood risk management schemes. The scenarios will also be considered for wider flood incident planning and operational readiness that might be needed by relevant responders.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Public Lavatories: Disability

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of the regulatory framework for the use of disabled toilets.

Gavin Barwell: Building Regulations apply where building work – typically the erection, alteration, or extension of a building – take place. Part M of the Building regulations requires that reasonable provision is made for people to access and use buildings and their facilities. Statutory guidance is given in Section 5 of Approved Document M (Access to and use of buildings) Volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings on the provision and design of suitable toilet and sanitary accommodation in buildings other than dwellings. Statutory guidance is provided in Approved Document M (Access to and use of buildings) Volume 1 for dwellings, which includes guidance on provision and design of accessible toilets in new homes.The Deparment for Communities and Local Government has commissioned PRP Architects to undertake scoping research looking at the effectiveness of the existing statutory guidance in Approved Document M for buildings other than dwellings, which includes consideration of sanitary provision. This research will be published in due course.For existing public and commercial buildings, the Equality Act 2010 places duties on building owners, employers and business operators to put in place suitable management practices and to make reasonable adjustments to physical features of buildings in order to ensure that disabled people are not placed at a disadvantage when compared to a non-disabled person. This could include consideration of the nature and availability of toilet provision.

Landlords

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number of rogue landlords in (a) England and (b) each local authority area in England.

Gavin Barwell: The department does not hold this information. The Housing and Planning Act 2016 introduced a package of measures to help local authorities crack down on rogue landlords. This includes a database of rogue landlords and property agents who have been convicted of a banning order offence or have received at least two civil penalties for housing relates offences.The database, which will be accessible to local authorities and DCLG, is expected to go live on 1 October 2017.

Housing: Construction

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the proportion of new build properties excluding flats that has been sold as leasehold in each of the last here years.

Gavin Barwell: The department does not hold this information. The department published an estimate of the number of leasehold dwellings in 2014. As Table 1 (see link below) shows, in 2012-13 there were approximately 1.3 million leasehold properties that were not flats. The remaining 2.8 million leasehold dwellings were flats.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/342628/Residential_Leasehold_dwellings_in_England.pdf

Planning Permission: Costs

Mr Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will assess the merits of requiring developers who need retrospective planning permission to refund the costs incurred by the planning authority.

Gavin Barwell: The enforcement of planning control is a statutory function of local authorities for which they need to budget and the costs of which are not generally recoverable.The primary purpose of a retrospective planning application is to give those who have made a genuine mistake the opportunity to rectify the matter. Introducing additional charges would penalise those people unfairly and might deter them from submitting applications.We believe this remains the right approach and have no plans to amend it at this time.

Homelessness

Amanda Solloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce (a) homelessness and (b) rough sleeping.

Mr Marcus Jones: One person without a home is one too many, and nobody should ever have to sleep rough. That is why the Government is clear that prevention must be at the heart of everything we do to reduce homelessness. We are investing £500 million to prevent, relieve and reduce homelessness in this Parliament, including protecting £315 million homelessness prevention funding for local authorities to help them continue to provide quality advice and assistance to everyone who approaches them for help.We have also increased central government investment to tackle homelessness to £139 million. This includes £10 million to help those new to the streets, or at imminent risk of sleeping rough, building on the success of projects such as No Second Night Out. Alongside this, we have £10 million of Social Impact Bond funding to support entrenched rough sleepers with the most complex needs, building on the success of the world’s first homelessness Social Impact Bond, run by the Greater London Authority.In addition, we committed £100 million at Budget to deliver low cost ‘move on’ accommodation to provide at least 2,000 places for people leaving hostels and refuges to make a sustainable recovery from a homelessness crisis.I am also considering Bob Blackman MP's Homelessness Reduction Bill and the role that further legislation might play in preventing homelessness.

Landlords

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help strengthen local authority powers to deal with rogue landlords.

Gavin Barwell: The Government introduced a package of measures in the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to help local authorities crack down on rogue landlords. They comprise civil penalties of up to £30,000 as an alternative to prosecution, the expansion of Rent Repayment Orders to cover a wider range of offences, a database of rogue landlords and property agents and banning orders to prevent serious and prolific offenders from being involved in the renting out or management of private rented properties. In addition, over the past five years, we have have made £12 million available to a range of local authorities to help them tackle acute and complex problems associated with rogue landlords. This has resulted in the inspection of over 70,000 properties with more than 5,000 landlords now facing further enforcement action.

Scotland Office

UK Withdrawal from EU: Scotland

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the result of the EU referendum.

David Mundell: Following the EU Referendum, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Lord Dunlop, and I have met with Scottish Government Ministers on a number of occasions, including with the new Scottish Government Minister for UK Negotiations on Scotland’s Place in Europe, Mr Michael Russell. We will continue to work with the Scottish Government as we form our negotiating strategy, working closely to get the best possible deal for all parts of the United Kingdom as we leave the European Union.

Scotland Office: Staff

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what proportion of staff on the payroll of his Department who work in Westminster are (a) British nationals and (b) nationals of another country.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly; all staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies, who remain the employers.

Scotland Office: Staff

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, approximately how many (a) British and (b) non-British nationals are employed cleaning the Westminster estate of his Department.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office participates in a Ministry of Justice Framework Contract for the cleaning of its premises in the Westminster estate. The Scotland Office does not hold information as to the nationality of the staff employed through this contract.

Visas: Overseas Students

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the inclusion of Scottish universities in the post-study work visa pilot.

David Mundell: I meet my Rt hon Friend the Home Secretary regularly and we discuss a wide range of issues.The Tier 4 visa pilot is part of the Home Office’s continued efforts to ensure that the UK maintains an excellent offer to attract the brightest and best to study at our world-leading institutions. Its main aim is to help simplify the visa application process for international students looking to study on a Masters’ course, in the UK, of 13 months or less. It will also help to support students who wish to switch into a work route and take up a graduate role by extending the leave period following the end of their study to up to six months. The pilot does not make any changes to the Tier 2 visa route and is not a return to the post-study work visa route, which we closed in April 2012 due to high levels of abuse. The institutions taking part in the pilot were chosen due to their consistently low level of visa refusals. It is a fundamental requirement of Tier 4 that education institutions who recruit international students take responsibility for them. This means the institution must ensure the student is genuine and meets the requirements of the Immigration Rules, before assigning them a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), as well as ensuring that the student leaves the UK at the end of his or her studies.

Scotland Act 2016

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, when he plans to give effect to the provisions of the Scotland Act 2016 not yet in force.

David Mundell: We have made significant progress since the Scotland Act 2016 reached Royal Assent in March 2016 and a large number of provisions of the Act are already in force, giving the Scottish Parliament responsibilities in new policy areas. Most recently, new welfare powers came into force on 5 September 2016 and the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare continues to meet to discuss the implementation of welfare powers, as well as the commencement and implementation of remaining welfare provisions.Implementation dates for a number of the tax and fiscal responsibilities in the Scotland Act 2016 are set out in the Fiscal Framework for Scotland.We are working constructively with the Scottish Government on the commencement of sections of the Scotland Act 2016 and I will meet regularly with Derek Mackay MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution in the Scottish Government, to discuss progress. I will ensure the UK Parliament is kept informed about this important work.

Scotland Office: Migrant Workers

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many non-UK citizens are employed by his Department.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly; all staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies, who remain the employers.

HM Treasury

Concentrix

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of cases of each risk type relating to error and fraud completed by SYNNEX-Concentrix under its contract with HM Revenue and Customs between May 2014 and October 2015.

Jane Ellison: Between the commencement of the contract in November 2014 and the end of October 2015, the number of cases completed by Concentrix by risk type were as follows:107,677 childcare risk;84,154 undeclared partner risk;114,146 work and hours risk.

Concentrix

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 44656, how many (a) amber, (b) amber green, (c) red and (d) black performance failures there were between May 2014 and October 2015 in respect of benefits and credits error and fraud.

Jane Ellison: The process to measure performance as described in the question was introduced as part of the contract variation signed on 13 October 2015. The information is therefore not available for the period requested.

Treasury: Concentrix

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the total value of the contract between his Department and Concentrix; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has, to date, spent circa £30 million with Concentrix for service delivery under the contract. HMRC, under appropriate procurement transparency mandates, published anticipated spend details on Contracts Finder of between £55-75 million pounds at the start of the contract. Final spend with the supplier will be dictated by contractual considerations around delivery of specific service campaigns. Such considerations are commercially sensitive at this time and cannot, in this instance, be disclosed.

Concentrix

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of tax credit cases awaiting consideration by Concentrix.

Jane Ellison: As at 12 October 2016, 181,054 cases have been passed to HM Revenue and Customs by Concentrix of which 149,211 have been resolved. Of the cases remaining with Concentrix, there are currently 4,385 outstanding cases for consideration. These are the cases that are yet to be worked and/or receive a decision around entitlement.

Fuels: Taxation

Martyn Day: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that taxes are displayed on fuel purchase receipts.

Jane Ellison: There is no legislative framework for purchase receipts, which are simply an acknowledgment of payment. There is VAT legislation on when an invoice must be provided. This states that VAT-registered businesses are only obliged to provide invoices to other VAT-registered businesses. Expanding the information that must be provided on VAT invoices to cover other taxes and duties, or requiring invoices to be provided to private motorists as well as businesses, would increase administrative burdens for retailers. The Government therefore has no plans to implement this proposal.

Concentrix

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Urgent Question of 14 September 2016, on Concentrix, what processes and procedures he plans to put in place to learn lessons from that contract; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) critically reviews the performance of all contracts, appropriately evaluating the quality of performance, business benefits and value for money derived in order to inform HMRC strategy and procurement requirements going forward. As such, an appropriate evaluation of the contract with Concentrix will be conducted to inform HMRC strategic thinking for the future. In addition, such consideration will be informed by Parliamentary scrutiny resulting from select committee hearings.

Welfare Tax Credits

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which companies tendered for the error and fraud tax credit contract with HM Revenue and Customs.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs, under appropriate procurement transparency mandates, publishes details of all suppliers who are awarded contracts with the Department. Whilst information on all bidding companies (and their bids) is retained, the list of such companies is commercially sensitive and cannot, in this instance, be disclosed.

Concentrix

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on the TUPE transfer of Concentrix staff at the end of that company's contract with HM Revenue and Customs.

Jane Ellison: The potential transfer of staff transfer under TUPE is governed by statute, as opposed to HM Revenue and Customs’ policy, and there is accordingly appropriate legal provision for this matter contained in the current agreement with Concentrix. With regard to detailing contractual provision and considerations in relation to TUPE as applicable to the contract with Concentrix, there are significant commercial sensitivites at this time which preclude such disclosure.

Concentrix

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans for HM Revenue and Customs to deliver the services currently conducted by Concentrix under the tax credit error and fraud contract upon the end of that contract.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs is currently considering various options for service delivery, in line with contractual obligations and considerations under the agreement with Concentrix.

Concentrix

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received from Concentrix on the non-renewal of its contract with HM Revenue and Customs.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs, in line with procurement and contract management best practice and protocol, have appropriate dialogue with all its suppliers in relation to potential contract extension. Such discussions are of course commercially sensitive and cannot, in this instance, be disclosed.

Aerospace Industry: Research

Grant Shapps: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to boost economic incentives for research and development in the aerospace industry.

Mr David Gauke: In recognition of the valuable contribution the aerospace industry makes to the UK economy, the Government is providing almost £2 billion for aerospace research and development, having extended support at Autumn Statement 2015 until 2025-26. This funding is matched by industry, and is helping drive world-class research in the UK. This sits alongside economy-wide R&D tax incentives, including R&D tax credits – which in 2014-15 supported £21.8 billion of R&D expenditure.

Financial Services: ICT

Grant Shapps: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support he is providing to Fintech after the vote to leave the EU.

Simon Kirby: The UK is recognised as the world’s leading FinTech capital, with recent reports such as EY’s ‘UK FinTech: on the cutting edge’ and Deloitte’s ‘Connecting Global FinTech: Hub Review 2016’ placing the UK and London as the number one location for FinTech in the world. The government is determined to continue to help support UK FinTech firms as they innovate and grow, and wants to ensure that the UK remains the location of choice for FinTech firms. As such, we are continuing to implement a range of our previously announced policies which are designed to reduce barriers to entry for FinTechs, help industry accelerate the development of key FinTech initiatives and ease access to foreign markets. We are also assessing other initiatives which can further help support the growth of UK FinTech, in consultation with the industry. In July, we launched our second FinTech Bridge with the Republic of Korea – increasing the opportunities for trade and investment between our two nations on FinTech, and deepening regulatory and government collaboration.Following the vote to leave the European Union, the government is engaging extensively with the sector. I will be meeting with the sector this month to discuss what they are looking for out of the European negotiations, and what more the government can do in the short and medium term to support the sector.

Companies: Climate Change

Barry Gardiner: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Prudential Regulation Authority, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority are adequately ensuring that companies disclose the financial risk to their company associated with climate change.

Simon Kirby: Climate change is not only a huge threat to our natural environment, but to our economic prosperity too. The private sector’s involvement is crucial if we are to be successful in reaching the ambitious targets agreed in Paris last year. The UK government and regulators are together at the forefront of engaging with the private sector to address this pressing issue:The Prudential Regulation Authority’s pioneering report on the impact of climate change on the UK insurance sector last year kick-started the global debate around climate-related financial risks.The Bank of England is leading global efforts to develop the international framework for green finance as co-chair of the G20 Green Finance Study Group.Governor Carney’s speech in Berlin last week stressed the importance of disclosure in addressing climate-related financial risks.The Financial Stability Board, chaired by Governor Carney, set up an industry-led Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures in late 2015, under the leadership of Michael Bloomberg. The Task Force is developing recommendations for voluntary, consistent, comparable, reliable and clear disclosures around climate-related financial risks for companies to provide information to investors, lenders, insurers, and other stakeholders. The Task Force published its initial report in April, and will publish a final report in early 2017. The Government looks forward to the publication of the Task Force’s report.

Bank Services: Interest Rates

Mr Hugo Swire: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he is taking steps to encourage banks to reduce interest rates inline with base rate reductions.

Simon Kirby: Alongside the Monetary Policy Committee’s decision to cut Bank Rate to 0.25%, the Chancellor on 4 August authorised the introduction of a new Term Funding Scheme. The Term Funding Scheme will lend central bank reserves to banks and building societies for an extended period at rates close to Bank Rate, in order to ensure the low level of Bank Rate is passed onto borrowing rates faced by households and businesses.

Incentives

Steve McCabe: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 44306, what assessment he has made of the effect of his Department's policies on trends in shifts from bonuses to salaries in the financial sector; and what plans he has to tackle income inequality in the UK.

Simon Kirby: The UK is at the forefront of global efforts to tackle unacceptable pay practices in the banking sector and has the toughest regime on pay of any major financial centre. Firms are now required to have policies in place to defer, reduce, cancel or clawback bonuses in the event that poor performance or misconduct comes to light and the Government expects firms to be proactive in their application of these policies. Used in this way bonuses can be an effective incentive for staff to act in the long term interests of a business. The Government’s efforts have resulted in a restructuring of pay including a significant reduction in cash bonuses, and a better alignment of risk and reward in the financial sector. Income inequality is lower than it was in 2010, and close to its lowest level since the mid-1980s. Furthermore, distributional analysis published by the Treasury alongside Budget 2016 shows that the richest fifth of households are projected to pay a greater proportion of taxes in 2019-20 than in 2010-11 as a result of government policy – and more than all other households put together. The government is committed to making Britain a country that works for everyone through tacking injustices and ensuring that everyone, whatever their background, is able to go as far as their talents can take them.

Local Growth Deals: Taxation

Steve McCabe: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 44480, through what mechanisms devolution deals will reduce regional variations in tax generation.

Mr David Gauke: The government has devolved significant powers and funding from central government to city regions through devolution deals, including powers over transport, skills and planning. Devolution is about bringing together key levers at the right functional economic geography to drive economic growth. This will empower local leaders to invest money where it is most needed, to create high-quality jobs and boost local economic growth. The government has also announced that it will pilot the move to 100% business rate retention with Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region, and that this offer is open to other mayoral combined authorities, ensuring local areas and communities see the benefits of supporting businesses and jobs through increased local tax receipts.

Financial Services: Migrant Workers

Helen Goodman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on work permits and immigration rules for EU citizens working in the financial industry after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr David Gauke: The Chancellor has regular discussions with Government colleagues, including the Home Secretary, on a range of different issues. As the Chancellor said at the Lord’s Economic Affairs Committee the Government will not accept uncontrolled free movement of people but will continue to facilitate the movement of highly skilled people, including in financial institutions.

Sovereign Wealth Funds

Bob Stewart: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to introduce a sovereign wealth fund.

Simon Kirby: The government’s current priority is to reduce the deficit and start paying down national debt.

Debts

Helen Goodman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to protect families paying debts over time from bailiff fees, court charges and interest rates; and if he will consider a statutory breathing space for families in debt.

Helen Goodman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implication for his Department's policies of the Children's Society's recent report, Damage of Debt; and if his Department will introduce a statutory breathing space scheme for families in debt.

Simon Kirby: The Government noted the report with interest and is grateful for the important work that The Children’s Society does. The Government is committed to supporting individuals in problem debt. The Government is exploring whether some form of “breathing space” would be a useful and viable addition to the range of formal and informal debt solutions available to consumers and creditors. Officials in HM Treasury and the Insolvency Service have been asked to discuss this issue with stakeholders and the Government will report back this autumn.

Cabinet Office

Clean Growth Ministerial Group

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Interministerial Group on Clean Growth plans to continue to meet.

Ben Gummer: Clean growth continues to be a priority for this Government. The full list of Interministerial Groups is currently being finalised.

Civil Servants: Redundancy Pay

Martyn Day: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential effects on (a) older workers, (b) women and (c) people with disabilities of the proposed reforms of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.

Martyn Day: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposals to reform the Civil Service Compensation Scheme on the morale of public sector workers.

Martyn Day: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government plans to take to engage with trades unions on the proposed reforms to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will undertake an Equality Impact Assessment of the proposed changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.

Ben Gummer: The Government consulted on its reforms to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme and considered the responses it received from civil servants and others carefully. It held several meetings with unions during the consultation and then further meetings with unions that agreed to participate. An equalities impact assessment was published on 26 September alongside the Government’s consultation response.The Government believes its proposed reforms will provide a firm foundation for the management of the Civil Service and its people for a generation. The new terms compare favourably with exit terms in the wider economy and will align the Civil Service Compensation Scheme with reforms across the public sector. It will support employers in managing their workforce and simplify the exit process while treating employees respectfully and fairly.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate his Department has made of the number of agreements that will need to be renegotiated if the UK is no longer a member of the single market; and which trade agreements those agreements are.

Greg Hands: A full list of all EU trade agreements can be found on the European Commission’s website (http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/agreements/index_en.htm).We recognise the need for a smooth transition as the UK leaves the EU which minimises disruption to our trading relationships. We will engage fully with all stakeholders over the coming weeks and months as we prepare for the negotiation with the EU and beyond.

Trade Agreements

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the total annual value to the UK of each trade deal to which the UK is a party as a consequence of the UK's membership of the European single market.

Greg Hands: Fifteen per cent of the UK’s exports of goods and services in 2014 went to countries with which the EU has negotiated free trade agreements (FTAs). This includes FTAs that have been implemented and those where negotiations have been completed but are still awaiting ratification. It does not include UK exports to EEA countries or non-EU members of the Customs Union.

Foreign Investment in UK: North West

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of inward investment in (a) Liverpool, (b) Merseyside and (c) the North West.

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what levels of investment have been received into the Liverpool City Region in each of the last five years.

Mark Garnier: The Department for International Trade (DIT) does not publish figures below the UK regional level. However, DIT has published regional figures for 2011/12 to 2015/16 which can be located via the link below to the relevant section on the Gov.UK website.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-direct-investment-projects-by-ukti-regions-201011-to-201415/foreign-direct-investment-projects-by-uk-region-201011-to-201415

Wales Office

Wales Office: Staff

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what proportion of staff on the payroll of his Department who work in Westminster are (a) British nationals and (b) nationals of another country.

Guto Bebb: The Wales Office is not an employer in its own right and payroll services are provided by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) on our behalf.

Wales Office: Staff

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, approximately how many (a) British and (b) non-British nationals are employed cleaning the Westminster estate of his Department.

Guto Bebb: The Wales Office does not employ any cleaners. The Department uses Ministry of Justice facilities management contracts, including the provision of cleaning for its Westminster estate.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate he has made of the net benefit to the Welsh economy of the steel to be used in the construction of the Hinkley C nuclear power plant.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate he has made of the net benefit to the Welsh economy of jobs created as a result of the construction of Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will estimate how many jobs will be created in Wales as a result of the construction of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much Welsh steel will be used in the construction of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant.

Alun Cairns: The UK Government does not hold the specific figures requested. The decision to proceed with the first new nuclear power station for a generation will provide a huge boost to the regional economy including South Wales. Construction at the Hinkley site will provide 26,000 jobs and apprenticeships, and 64% of the project’s costs will be spent in the UK. Welsh companies are already taking advantage of the opportunities this project presents, for example, Express Reinforcements in South Wales was given preferred bidder status for a £100m contract to supply 200,000 tonnes of reinforcing steel for the project. I would encourage businesses in Wales to register with EDF in order to take advantage of upcoming supply chain opportunities.

Lidl: Industrial Disputes

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that GMB is able to negotiate on behalf of 200 workers at the Lidl warehouse in Bridgend.

Alun Cairns: The Government has put in place a robust legal framework to ensure workers can be represented by unions if that is their clear, democratic choice. The Government cannot get involved in individual cases such as this one. However, the law states that for a trade union to have the right to negotiate collectively and for its workplace representatives to be eligible for time off to carry out union duties, the union must be recognised by the employer. Statutory recognition (achieved through the Central Arbitration Committee – CAC) requires that a majority of the workforce support union recognition for collective bargaining with the employer.

Wales and Borders Rail Franchise

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what plans he has to devolve the Wales and Border Rail Franchise to the Welsh Government.

Guto Bebb: The in-principle agreement between the Welsh Government and the Department for Transport to devolve the Wales and Borders franchise was announced on 21 November 2014.We are continuing to engage constructively with the Welsh Government to enable them to achieve the successful procurement of the next Wales and Borders franchise from October 2018.

Local Growth Deals: North Wales

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues about proposals for a North Wales Growth Deal.

Alun Cairns: The door is open to a growth deal for North Wales. The Government is looking carefully at proposals which have been developed by local partners in North Wales which could help to strengthen the region’s economy and make the most of its connections to the Northern Powerhouse.

Wales Bill

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, for what reasons he decided to give evidence on the Wales Bill to the National Assembly for Wales' Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee; and if he will give evidence to that committee.

Alun Cairns: The Committee Chair declined my offer to meet him to discuss the Wales Bill.I am giving careful consideration to the report and the Committee’s recommendations.

Department of Health

Health Services

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of NHS England's clinical policy prioritisation process for specialised services on the provision of treatment to patients in the devolved nations; and if he will make a statement.

David Mowat: As health is a devolved function, it is for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to make decisions about how they prioritise funding for specialised treatments. NHS England’s clinical policy prioritisation process relates solely to the direct commissioning responsibilities of NHS England and predominantly affects patients in England.However, NHS England works closely with the three devolved nations, particularly through the Rare Diseases Advisory Group (of which the three devolved nations are members), whose function is to provide advice to NHS England and the devolved nations on the commissioning of highly specialised services. The devolved nations are also observers on the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group, which advises NHS England on which specialised services should be prioritised for funding.

Health Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish the mandate to Health Education England for 2016-17; and whether he plans that that mandate will reference the strategic review of the cancer workforce recommended in the England Cancer Strategy.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Health Education England mandate 2016-17 was published on 13 October 2016. A copy of ‘Delivering high quality, effective, compassionate care: Developing the right people with the right skills and the right values’ is attached.The mandate sets Health Education England an objective to continue to take forward the relevant recommendations set out in the Independent Cancer Task Force report, ‘Achieving World Class Cancer Outcomes: a strategy for England 2015 – 2020’, including working with partners to develop a vision for the future shape and skills mix of the workforce required to deliver a modern, holistic patient-centred cancer service.



PQ46638 HEE mandate 16/17
(Word Document, 750.79 KB)

Medical Treatments

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to continue to support Commissioning through Evaluation; and whether he plans to maintain patient access to that programme whilst a formal decision is made on its future.

David Mowat: There are no current plans to stop supporting the Commissioning through Evaluation programme.

Health Services

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to meet patient representatives to discuss the outcomes of the NHS England clinical policy prioritisation process for specialised services.

David Mowat: In July 2016 NHS England laid out its provisional investment plans for specialised services. However, owing to a current court case regarding pre-exposure prophylaxis these decisions are not yet finalised.As the decisions are still subject to change, Ministers have not yet arranged meetings to discuss the final outcomes.However Ministers continue to receive and respond to correspondence from a range of correspondents on the provisional investment decisions.

Medical Treatments

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for how long it is planned that Commissioning through Evaluation will be in the assessment phase.

David Mowat: The analysis phase for a treatment entered in to Commissioning through Evaluation will vary in length as the time needed depends on the follow up evaluation measures that have been agreed by clinicians and patients at the start of each scheme.

Stem Cells: Transplant Surgery

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of NHS England's decision not to fund second stem cell transplants on the long-term outcomes of patients.

Nicola Blackwood: Decisions related to the commissioning of National Health Service treatments in England are made by NHS England using a published process that involves an impact assessment. The Department has not made any further assessment of the decision related to the commissioning of second stem cell transplants.

Fertility: Medical Treatments

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 44420, how the Government is monitoring the extent to which the NHS is offering treatment in accordance with NICE guidelines across all areas of medicine; and what assessment the Government has made of the extent to which treatment is falling short of NICE guidelines for financial reasons.

Nicola Blackwood: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines represent best practice, are based on the available evidence and developed through wide consultation. As best practice, National Health Service organisations should take them into account in the care and treatment of patients, but they are not mandatory and we have made no assessment of the extent to which the NHS is offering treatment in accordance with NICE guidelines.

Donors

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to include (a) stem cell and (b) bone marrow donation alongside organ and blood donation options on NHS GP registration forms for new patients.

Nicola Blackwood: There are no plans to include stem cell and bone marrow donation on general practice registration forms for new patients. NHS Blood and Transplant recruits potential bone marrow donors from blood donors when they first donate blood.

Donors

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase registration for (a) blood and platelet, (b) stem cell, (c) bone marrow and (d) organ donation.

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase awareness of the importance of (a) blood and platelet donation, (b) stem cell donation, (c) bone marrow donation and (d) organ registration among school-aged children.

Nicola Blackwood: NHS Blood and Transplant runs donor recruitment campaigns for blood, platelet, stem cell and organ donation throughout the year. Examples include the recently launched Missing Type campaign to promote blood donation; implementation of their Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020: A UK Strategy and management of the NHS Cord Blood Bank and British Bone Marrow Registry, working with Anthony Nolan.Specific action addressing awareness of registration among school-aged children includes the introduction of new education resources designed to equip secondary school teachers with the knowledge to educate and engage students about organ donation and working with Anthony Nolan to run the Be a Lifesaver education programme which trains volunteers to educate 16-18 year olds about stem cell, blood and organ donation.

Mental Health Services: Derby North

Amanda Solloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of the additional £1.25 billion made available in the March 2015 Budget for child and adolescent mental health services has been spent in Derby North constituency.

Nicola Blackwood: This information is not available in the format requested.We are advised by NHS England that from this additional funding the amount allocated to Southern Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group in 2015/16 was £1.029 million and for 2016/17 the amount is £1.370 million.This Government has made £1.4 billion funding available over the course of the Parliament for spending on children and young people’s mental health, with total investment to date of £453 million.Investment in 2015/16 included:- £75 million to transform local services through delivery of Local Transformation Plans (LTPs);- £30 million to improve community based eating disorder services; and- £68 million to fund expansion of the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Programme (CYP IAPT); improvements to perinatal mental health care; investment in inpatient services for children and young people; increased workforce capability; and innovation and development of online support.Investment for 2016/17 includes:- £119 million for LTPs;- £30 million to improve community based eating disorder services; and- £131 million for workforce and system development to support LTPs; a proportion of this will be allocated to commissioners for CYP IAPT and perinatal mental healthcare.

HIV Infection: Drugs

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress his Department has made on reaching a decision on NHS England's commissioning responsibilities for drugs capable of preventing HIV infection in high-risk groups.

Nicola Blackwood: In September the Court of Appeal heard an appeal against an earlier judgement of the High Court, which ruled that NHS England does have powers to commission pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for people at risk of contracting HIV. Judgement is still awaited. No decisions on commissioning of PrEP have yet been made.

Mental Health Services

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of mental health support available to British nationals affected by the terrorist attacks in (a) Tunis on 18 March 2015, (b) Sousse on 26 June 2015, (c) Paris on 13 November 2015 and (d) Nice on 14 July 2016; and what estimate he has made of the average waiting time to receive such services.

Nicola Blackwood: Following the terrorist attacks in Tunisia, Paris and Brussels a programme was put in place to support those affected by the incidents. It will be evaluated over the next five months. The findings will be available in March/April 2017 and will help to inform future policy direction. In addition the programme has been under internal review and ongoing improvements have been made as a result.For those people affected by the terrorist attacks in Nice, the Department will make every effort to contact individuals to inform them of the possible symptoms of trauma related ill-health and advice about treatment. This is in line with evidence-based recommendations made by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.